There are two modern conveniences none of us can live without. The first is the car and the second is the iPhone. But did you realize both of these can be combined to complement each other. While it’s true you can use it to go online and renew your New York vehicle registration there are many much more powerful uses for your phone.

Here is a selection of iPhone apps that have a practical motoring uses and a few that are just plain fun to use with your car.

CARTICIPATE
This app lets you know about other people who are heading in the same direction as you so you can message other drivers to car pool. Sounds like a great way to save on gas money and at the same time help save the planet by reducing your carbon footprint. Of course it’s probably not a good idea to watch the movie Hitcher before using this.

iGASUP
If you’re looking for the best gas prices this app pulls up the nearest 10 gas stations and can prioritize them by nearness or cheapness.

TRAPSTER

Avoid police speed traps, speed cameras and stop light cameras using Trapster. Information comes from a database of 330,000 users so it is fairly accurate. Wi-Fi location pinpoints where your car is and warnings are given as voice alerts.

CRAFTSMAN GARAGE DOOR APP
This one is self-explanatory it opens your garage door but unlike your normal opener you can check if the garage door is open or closed no matter where you are and if needs be close it. However you do have to fork out $200 for the Craftsman AssureLink internet connected garage door opener.

TRIPALYSER
This app creates a record of your driving habits. It utilizes GPS and Wi-Fi triangulation to analyze how you drive and the efficiency of your fuel use. At journeys end your given a run down of how much the trip cost.

INRIX TRAFFIC
For help with planning routes this app is very useful. It provides a list of traffic events on your route such as traffic accidents, convention traffic, sporting events traffic or any other traffic hold up reported by members of the Inrix traffic community. It also displays a map of your area showing you how heavy the traffic is using a color coding scheme.

It can also provide you with 15 minute predictions of how heavy the traffic is likely to become along your chosen route allowing you to make quick detours so you can reach your destination faster.

PARKER for iPhone
This app displays an overhead view of your current area and shows you where the parking spots are located. That app uses data that the department of transport makes available in several major cities that is sent to a central location by sensors located at parking spots. This can tell you if the spot is empty or not.

GOPOINT APP
This allows you to plug directly into your cars onboard diagnostic port using a separately purchased cable ($100). This allows you to gain diagnostic information that would normally require expensive equipment used by mechanics to acquire. Whether you have the skill to fix them is another matter but it gives you a heads up if you have to take your car for repair.